The Alpha is Rising
by Aurora Mandeville
Summary: The Dark is Rising AU - Hiccup finds out on his 18th birthday that he is a Dragon Master, powerful humans sworn to protect the world of dragons. But with that knowledge also comes a prophecy, one the other Dragon Masters hope Hiccup will fulfill, that of bringing the signs together to keep the Alpha from rising.
1. Preparations

That day started out like any other, Hiccup got up bright and early, ate breakfast with his parents before his dad dropped him off at school. He quickly found his friends, Fishlegs eager to talk about the newest dragons in Dragon Tamers, as always. School itself dragged on like usual, Hiccup preferring to draw, play Dragon Tamers, and build things out of Legos rather than listening to his professor drone on about history. Of course, Hiccup could just watch Merida and daydream about how he would ask her out and where they would go. He'd plan out their entire future if he had the time, but by the time they were boarding a plane for their honeymoon, the class was over and it was on to the next one. It wasn't until it was time to leave that someone mentioned the clearly obvious.

"Go on, Hiccup, ask her out! Or else Snotlout will think he's actually got a chance!" blurted Fishlegs.

"I thought Snotlout already asked her out, and she turned him down cold?"

"Yeah, but he's going to try again. No one has ever asked her out twice, and he thinks he's got the charm to make her melt!"

Hiccup chuckled, "Think is the key word, Fishlegs. Snotlout doesn't do much of that outside of finding new ways to get girls to notice him." At that moment, Snotlout walked up to them, a smug look on his face.

"Well I think Merida will say yes. Once she realizes just how irresistible I am, she'll be asking me to marry her!" grinned Snotlout. Fishlegs and Hiccup groaned and rolled their eyes. Snotlout thought he was so awesome that he couldn't see that he wasn't! "Ah, oh Merida, darling princess!" Snotlout rushed after the redhead, who was just getting out of archery club.

"OK, this, I've got to see," smirked Fishlegs as he and Hiccup began walking after him.

"Watch the very first, second failed attempt?" grinned Hiccup.

"Oh, I know! When Snotlout gets annoying, you swoop in and rescue her!"

"What? No! She'd never forgive if I did that!"

"Excuse me?" came Merida's sharp Scottish accent.

Snotlout began stammering, "I, uh, um, w-was wondering if you'd go out with me to H-Hiccup's party tomorrow."

"No," came the quick reply. Hiccup let out a soft sigh of relief before he and Fishlegs began snickering as Snotlout's face changed from surprise to crestfallen.

"What? But . . ."

"No, I'm not going with you."

"But, but, who would go out with me?"

"I would," stated Ruffnut as she, Astrid, and Heather joined Merida.

"You would?"

"Well, yeah, if I wasn't already going with MacIntosh," she added, indicating the brunette who joined her side.

"Oh man!" Everyone burst out laughing.

"Better luck next time, Snotlout," snickered Astrid.

"Yeah, but, just out of curiosity, Mer, who would you go out with?" asked Heather.

"Someone who hasn't asked me out yet," quipped Merida as she turned to walk away.

Fishlegs elbowed Hiccup, "Did you hear that, Hiccup, did you hear that? You're the only one who hasn't asked her out yet!"

"What? No I'm not, you haven't asked her out, Eret hasn't, nor has Tuffnut."

"Hey Merida! Are you going to Hiccup's party tomorrow?" shouted Fishlegs.

Merida turned and shouted back a bit harshly, "Who wants to know?"

"Hiccup!"

"What? No! Fishlegs!" hissed Hiccup.

Merida blinked, "Oh, uh, yeah, I'm going!"

Fishlegs nudged Hiccup, whispering, "Well, answer her!"

"Oh, uh, gr-reat, thank you! Uh, see you tomorrow!"

"OK, see you tomorrow!" Merida waved. Hiccup waved back as she walked away with her friends.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," began Fishlegs.

"That was horrible, just kill me now."

"What, right before your eighteenth birthday? And before a possible date with Merida?"

"Exactly."

"Oh come on, you want to plan out your whole life with her, but you can't even pluck up enough courage to ask her out?"

Hiccup sighed, "It's complicated."

"No it isn't."

"Yes it . . ." A car honking made Hiccup pause and glance at the parking lot. There was his mom.

"Come on Hiccup, I still have to get a few things for tomorrow!"

"Coming Mom!" He turned to Fishlegs, "See you tomorrow!"

"Maybe."

Hiccup paused, "Maybe? What? I need you, man! I can't just face Merida by myself!"

Fishlegs began laughing, "What? And miss what could possibly be your first date with Merida? Nah! I was just kidding! I'll be there, promise."

Hiccup chuckled nervously, "Uh, yeah. Thanks Fishlegs, you're the best!" He waved as he dashed towards the car.

"Alright, well, did you figure out what kind of cake you want?" asked Valka as Hiccup buckled in.

He sighed, "No, not really. Maybe I'll figure it out while we're at the store." He glanced up as his mother braked the car.

"Excuse me, sorry," Merida smiled apologetically as she dashed across the parking lot towards the parked car where her father and brothers were shouting at her to hurry it up, Hiccup's eyes following her the whole way.

"OK," muttered Valka.

Hiccup snapped out of his trance and glanced at his mother, "Uh, what?"

"About choosing the cake at the store, OK, just, make it quick, alright?"

"Oh, uh, right." Hiccup glanced down and didn't notice the knowing smile that spread across his mother's face.

"So, you made sure everyone who was invited is coming?" Valka asked nonchalantly.

"Mm-hmm," mumbled Hiccup as he checked his phone.

"Oh, good, so that means the whole gang is coming?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Even Merida?"

"Mm-hmm." He tried to act all cool about it, but his cheeks were starting to turn red and he began to lean forward. Valka bit her lip to keep from laughing, it was going to take a bit of time and a little prodding, but he'd eventually ask her out. She didn't say another word about the party until they got into the store.

"OK, I'm going to have to get some groceries as well as the plasticware. I seriously thought I had enough. Oh well, I'll meet you back here in, say, fifteen minutes. Think that will be enough time to decide?" She indicated the row of cakes laid out in the glass display.

Hiccup gave her a lopsided grin, "It should be."

"I hope so, you've waited long enough. I'll be back soon, so make it quick!"

"Right!" Hiccup waved as his mother walked away. He let out a huff as he turned to the array of cakes. Well, there it was, he had to choose now, no putting it off any longer. What was he going to do? He liked them all! Chocolate, vanilla, the confetti was fun, so was carrot, and all the fruits. Ugh, so many choices! A chuckle from behind the counter caught his attention.

"Sometimes I think I took this job simply to help you choose your cake."

"Gobber!"

Gobber winked, "How are you doing, Hiccup? I should ask, how are you feeling, so close to your eighteenth birthday?"

Hiccup shrugged, "No different than last year. I mean, sure, technically I'm a man now, but I might not feel like it until I graduate high school and get into college."

"Oh, interesting. I think you will feel different, starting at midnight," Gobber stated somewhat mysteriously.

Hiccup glanced at him questioningly, "What do you mean, Gobber?"

Gobber just shrugged, "It's kind of hard to explain, you'll see what I mean tonight."

Hiccup shrugged, "Oh, OK, well, are you going to do your job and help me choose a cake?"

Gobber thought for a moment, "Eh, maybe. Actually, I was wondering . . ."

"Uh, yes?" asked Hiccup when he didn't continue.

"You haven't had apple spice cake yet, have you?"

"Uh, I don't think so . . ."

"Well, why don't you do that? It's basically the one cake you haven't had yet. And I should know, I've been helping you decide which cake you have for the past sixteen years!"

Hiccup chuckled, "That's true. Alright, apple spice cake it is. What frosting?"

"Oh, cream cheese, of course. You can add caramel on top as well, that'll send you into a sugar high for sure."

Hiccup licked his lips, "Mm, that does sound good."

"Want anything else? Any designs, extra toppings?"

"Mm . . . dragons? Almonds?"

"Huh, almonds with apples, eh? Interesting combo."

"Oh, uh . . ."

"Oh, it isn't bad, trust me, I've tried it. I only mention it because Merida's the only one I know of who likes almond extract in her apple cider. I did try some, it's not bad, I'll give her that."

"Wait, Merida likes almond extract in her apple cider?"

"Yeah, I thought you knew? What with your obvious crush on her, you following her around like a puppy and knowing so much about her."

"No I don't!"

"OK, OK, so you don't follow her around everywhere, that would be creepy, but I'd have thought you knew so much about her."

"I, uh, I give her some privacy."

"Well that's being very gentleman-like of you. She might prefer you over all of those other blokes who ask her out."

Hiccup ran a hand through his hair as he chuckled, "Uh, yeah, so, um, apple spice cake with cream cheese frosting, caramel, almonds, and dragons."

"Right, I'll make a rectangle so I can draw the dragon easier."

"Right, thanks, Gobber."

"No problem. Oh, real quick . . ." Gobber ducked behind the counter and came back up with a wrapped package. "This is for you."

"Why, thanks Gobber!" He glanced at Gobber, "But, why can't you give this to me tomorrow? Aren't you coming to my birthday party?"

"Oh, I am, I'm bringing the cake after all!"

"Oh, right . . ."

"This is to be opened at midnight."

"Oh, when I get that feeling?" Hiccup asked in jest.

"Yes, but if you hear or see anything, you either stay in your room or come to my place. Preferably my place, but it's up to you if you want to. And if you do come, make sure you don't wake your parents and you close all doors and windows you open so nothing can get in. Are we perfectly clear?"

Hiccup swallowed, Gobber wasn't joking, "O-OK. Gobber, what's going on?"

"You'll find out tonight. Sorry Hiccup, but it's the only way you'll believe me."

"B-believe you about what?"

"You'll see. Back already Valka? Did you find what you were looking for?"

Valka smiled as she walked towards the counter, "I did, thank you, Gobber! And did Hiccup make his choice?"

"Ah yes, giving me quite a challenge, this one."

"Oh, I'm sure you'll do just fine. Your cakes always come out wonderfully!"

"Well thank you, Valka! Hey, I won't keep you two much longer, you've got a party to set up, and I've got a cake to make! I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Wonderful! Well, see you tomorrow, Gobber! Uh, Hiccup, are you going to say goodbye?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah, uh, goodbye Gobber, see you . . . tomorrow."

"Right, and remember what I said!"

Hiccup chuckled nervously, "Yeah, I, I will."

"What was that all about?" asked Valka.

"Oh, um . . ."

"Oh! Gobber gave you your present already?" Valka asked incredulously, noticing the package in Hiccup's hand.

"Oh, yeah, that's what it was about, uh, actually. He told me not to open it until midnight."

Valka laughed, "Of course! He wouldn't want you to open it before it's actually your birthday! Well, come on, we need to check out and get going, we're going to be late for dinner!"

Hiccup smiled, "Right." He glanced down at the package, his curiosity having to be put aside to take care of the shopping, but he couldn't help but wonder what lay beneath the paper. His thoughts then turned to Gobber's words and took a quick glance at his mom. Something was going to happen at midnight, and he was going to be awake to see it.


	2. Prophecy

Hiccup paced around his room impatiently, his parents had finally gone to bed around ten-thirty, leaving him with an hour and a half to wonder and theorize. He would pace between his window and his bed, the package laying like a temptation, begging to be opened, but Hiccup restrained himself, waiting until midnight. What could possibly be in it? What was going to happen? What was going on? As a matter of fact, why couldn't he tell his parents? Why didn't he even bother to ask the myriad of questions that popped into his head? He paused and sighed, he knew one reason, he had figured he would go to Gobber's place that night anyway and ask then. He might get some answers without so many people around. He glanced out the window, it would be easy too, with the tree sitting right outside his window. He'd done it so many times now that he could practically do it in his sleep, climb out, shut the window, and climb down. He pursed his lips, make sure the windows and doors were closed. The way Gobber said it made it sound like it was serious and possibly dangerous if he left any doors or windows open. He figured that following that bit of advice would be a good idea, especially since he was following all the other bits of advice Gobber had given him. He glanced back at the package again, looking as tempting as ever. He glanced at his clock, only eleven o'clock. Letting out a frustrated sigh, Hiccup went and sat down at his desk, trying to figure out what he could do to pass the time. He did several things, worked on some homework, played a bit of Dragon Tamers, sketched a bit, and daydreamed about Merida. But it was a battle, an almost losing battle, to keep his mind off the package, his curiosity was so strong. He somehow managed to get some of his homework done and a couple of drawings, but thinking about Merida didn't help much as his mind almost immediately turned to the package, nor did playing with his virtual dragons, if anything, that made him think about it all the more. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the clock chimed midnight and Hiccup pounced on the package. He began to open it when something moved outside his window. Heart pounding, Hiccup glanced out the window. He didn't see anything, and closed the shutters before returning to the package. The wrapping paper ripped off easily and, much to Hiccup's surprise, revealed a book about dragon species. What was even weirder was that the symbols decorating the cover didn't look anything at all like they were from Dragon Tamers, they looked more like ancient runes. He passed his fingers over the runes, and it felt like electricity shot through his fingers. He dropped the book in surprise, but when nothing else happened, carefully picked it back up. He slowly opened the book, and got another surprise. Tucked within the cover was a piece of paper with a poem handwritten on it.

"The six elemental signs must be found; To keep the dragonstone in the ground; The youngest Dragon Master will find them all; And with his friends will create a wall; The signs encircled to prevent a disaster dire; Before the stone stand Earth, Ice, and Fire; Protect the tree with Air, Lightning, and Water; They must be placed in the proper order. Between Earth and Lightning stands a Fire so hot; Almost like what the dragon's mouth begot; Between Lightning and Water stands the gentle Air; Like the dragon's flight, graceful and fair; Between Earth and Water stands the royal Ice; All in the hands of the one who rolls the dice. So listen, Dragon Master, listen well; You will also need the copper bell; And the golden apples three; To save the dragons and keep them free." As soon as Hiccup finished reading the poem, a rumble echoed throughout the house. He cautiously tiptoed out of his room, his parents still slept, and all windows and doors were still locked. He dashed back into his room, stuffed the book and the poem in his book bag, and climbed out his window. He made double sure his window was closed before climbing down the tree and making his way towards Gobber's house.

"What's going on? What's with this book? And the poem? And that rumble I heard in my house?" Hiccup blurted the instant Gobber opened his door.

"Ah, right, you'd better come in, this could take a while."

Hiccup walked in and followed Gobber to the living room, "How long do you think this will take? I'll have to get back in time for the party, and . . . Principal Terrebonne!"

"You can call me Alvin, but only at these meetings, got it?"

"Y-yes sir, Mr. Terr . . . Alvin, sir."

"And knock it off with the sirs, not necessary, until you're in school."

"Um, O-OK."

"Well, you know Alvin, this here is Gothi, and Sandy." Gobber pointed to two elderly women, Gothi was shaping a tree into a dragon while Sandy was carving a bear out of a block of wood.

"A bear?"

"Well what'd ya expect, a dragon?" Sandy snapped, pointing at Gothi's masterpiece.

"Yeah, but . . . a bear?"

Gobber laid a hand on his shoulder, "It's her thing, best leave it alone."

"Well, now that everyone's here, let's get down to it, I've got to get ready for another week of terrorizing a school. They don't call me Alvin the Treacherous for nothing." He winked at Hiccup. Hiccup grimaced, so he did know about the nickname the kids had for him.

"Yeah, and I'm sure you're good at it, but you're right, we should get down to business. Hiccup, have a seat, please." Gobber pointed to a spot by Alvin and one between the women. Hiccup took the spot between Gothi and Sandy. "Can I have the book and the poem?" Hiccup nodded as he took both out of his bag and gave them to him. Gobber rattled off the poem. "Well, as you all know, that time is now, we have the youngest Dragon Master," he pointed to Hiccup. "Now we need the signs, and soon, the Alpha is beginning to rise."

"The what?"

Sandy shot him a look, "You didn't even read the book? Gobber!"

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Gobber opened the book to a page and handed it back to Hiccup. Hiccup read the description of the Alpha, a giant dragon that could control the mind of every dragon, the king. It stated that there was only one left in existence, and it had killed all other Alphas to control all dragons. It had been subdued by several Dragon Masters and put to sleep on an island as they had no desire to kill the very last one.

"Whoa . . . so, that Alpha's trying to wake up now?"

"More like someone's trying to wake it up," mumbled Alvin. The two women nodded.

"Yup, someone who wants to control the dragons as well, someone who's out to make himself a dragon army."

"Who?"

"Drago Bludvist."

"Uh, who?"

"Exactly, you don't know him, we've been trying to keep him away from the Alpha long enough for you to grow up."

"Wait, how long has he been after the Alpha?"

"Since you were a baby."

"That . . . that long?" They nodded. "But, why didn't you try talking him out of it?"

"We did, that's when we found out how serious he was. Hiccup, he's set on controlling the Alpha and all dragons, he's planning to take over the world," Alvin stated solemnly.

"Why?"

"Power, riches . . ."

"Mainly the power though," Gobber interrupted. "But that doesn't matter, we can't let him win, that's all there is to it."

"And you're the only one who can do it," pointed out Sandy.

"But, why me? How do you know that I'm a Dragon Master?"

Gobber sighed as he began to explain, "When a Dragon Master is born, a special dragon also is born, one who will be your best friend for life. We know you're a Dragon Master because we now have the first Nightfury ever seen in the past thousand years."

"Nightfury?" Hiccup asked as he quickly skimmed the book. Sandy flipped the pages to the exact page about Nightfuries. He skimmed over the information before letting out a, "Whoa."

"Right, so, you see, you're apparently a Dragon Master, only Dragon Masters have dragons specifically for them, and the same age."

Hiccup glanced at Alvin, "Um, what dragon do you have?"

Alvin burst out laughing, "Oh, I'm not a Dragon Master, they simply recruited me, so to speak, since I can keep a better eye on you than they can at the school. And I can cover for you if you need to be out of school for any length of time."

"Really?"

"Only when it concerns saving the world, you can't use this privilege any old day for any old reason."

"Darn!" whispered Hiccup. The adults grinned, but Gobber cleared his throat and got them back on track.

"So, now that you have the book, you need to read it and familiarize yourself with the dragon species."

"And you need to start looking for the signs," stated Sandy.

"How do I find them? And why can Alvin know, but not my parents?"

"I'm sure you'll be able to tell them eventually, but would they believe you?"

"Not, not really," muttered Hiccup. "I don't think I really believe it myself."

Gobber nodded, "We know, but we have a way to prove it to you now. Gothi?" She nodded and left a minute, returning with something cradled in her arms. Hiccup gasped, it was a tiny dragon! The little thing jumped out of Gothi's arms and onto Hiccup's head.

"Yow!" Hiccup reached up to grab the little dragon when Gobber stopped him.

"Wait, what way do you think would be best to handle the little rascal?" Hiccup blinked and glanced at the book. "Being a Dragon Master means you pick up on the subtleties of dragons better than most. Just pay attention to the dragon." The little dragon tumbled off his head and into his lap, and the two watched each other for a few seconds before Hiccup slowly extended his hand towards it. The little dragon touched his hand with its nose before it started licking his hand.

Hiccup chuckled, "That tickles!"

"Watch the dragon." Hiccup did, and he began to pick up a lot of subtleties. He understood the dragon was happy to meet him, and was clearly trying to tell him everything it could think of. Hiccup eventually figured out the dragon was a female, that she was only eleven, and she could sing fairly well for a dragon.

"What's her name?"

Gobber grinned, "You can name her." Gothi nodded.

Hiccup thought for a bit before saying, "Siren." The dragon leaped into the air for joy, she was pretty happy with her new name.

"Good! You're learning pretty quick!" exclaimed Sandy.

Alvin scoffed, "Now if only he could do that for school." Hiccup grinned sheepishly.

"Well, right now, the dragons are his priority. You'll have him back after the Alpha's been taken care of."

"Right, so, the signs."

"Yeah, how do I find them?"

Gobber shrugged, "We don't know, if we did, we would have found them already."

"Gobber, that's not going to help him." Sandy turned to Hiccup, "You'll find them the exact same way you figured out Siren, by watching for the subtleties. You, however, are the only one who can see them, so you are going to have to keep your eyes peeled open."

"But, what about Drago?"

"We'll take care of him, you concentrate on the signs."

"And you have no idea of where I should start?" The Dragon Masters and Alvin shook their heads. "Do you at least know what these signs look like?" Another shake of heads. "Great, so I find out I'm a Dragon Master on my eighteenth birthday, I have to find six signs before the Alpha rises, and I'm the only one who can even see those six signs. Did I forget anything?"

"Nope," stated Gobber.

"That about sums it up," commented Sandy.

"You are so going to need my help to cover for you," scoffed Alvin.

Hiccup sighed and groaned, "Alright, well, considering this was all just sprun on me and right on my eighteenth birthday, mind if I take a few days to let it all sink in?"

"Yes," blurted Gobber.

"No," blurted Sandy at the same time.

"What?"

"He needs to find the signs," Gobber pointed out.

"I know, but let him take some time to think this through. He still has to read the book," Sandy reminded him.

Alvin stood up, "How about this? Hiccup takes a week to let this all sink in, but, he still keeps an eye open for any signs wherever he goes." Gobber and Sandy glanced at each other before glancing at Hiccup.

"Well, uh, that, that could work."

"Good, that's all settled then, now, if you three don't mind, we have a party tomorrow, and the birthday boy needs to be completely rested."

"Wait, you're coming to my party?"

Alvin tossed the book and the poem back into Hiccup's book bag as he shrugged, "Eh, just for a bit. I was your father's best friend back in high school."

"Yeah, but this is my birthday party."

"Mmm-hmm, well, we'll be off, you'll need your energy to entertain your guests. See ya Gobber, Sandy, Gothi, we'll keep in touch!" And with that, Alvin marched Hiccup out the door and straight to his house, making sure the teen was back in his room before leaving. When Hiccup's head hit the pillow, his mind was still going a hundred miles a minute with everything that had happened and what he had learned. It took him a while, but he finally fell asleep.


	3. The Party

Hiccup moaned and groaned when his mother woke him up fairly early the next morning. Normally, he would have been ecstatic to be able to stay up past midnight, but that would have been to play game or chat with friends, not find out you have to be the one to save the world. But an exciting thought entered his mind that helped to wake him up, dragons were real! Wouldn't Fishlegs be thrilled to hear that! Another thought passed through his head, making him grin even wider, they had said that he couldn't tell his parents, but nothing about telling his friends! He glanced at the book and the poem real quick and noticed one line in the prophecy, that he and his friends would create a wall. So not only could he tell his friends, he needed to, he needed their help. And who better than the gang to help him save the world? He paused, but how exactly was he supposed to convince them that this was all real? All he had needed was to see a real dragon, that would be all Fishlegs would need too, but the others? They would think he was nuts unless he had proof besides one little dragon. He sighed, he was beginning to see why keeping silent about such things was easier than trying to prove it, even though there was proof.

"Hiccup! There's still things to be done for the party!" his father's voice echoed through the house. Hiccup let out a huff before leaving his room to help set up for the party. Pretty soon, caught up in the whirlwind of set-up, Hiccup's thoughts turned from the doom and gloom of getting his friends to believe and saving the world, to the excitement of the upcoming party. It wasn't long before the guests started arriving, Fishlegs was first on the scene, as always, followed quite closely by Merida, Astrid, Eret, Heather, and Dagur. The twins, MacIntosh, McGuffin, and Dingwall came next, with Snotlout showing up last, as always, hoping to create a spectacular entrance for himself. It never really worked out for him as everybody was too busy chatting away or really getting into games. But they were all there, and it wasn't long before Gobber and Alvin showed up with the birthday cake. There was some surprise, and a bit caution, on his friends' part at seeing the principal, but they ignored him for the most part, allowing Alvin and Stoick to catch up a bit. Hiccup, on the other hand, kept thinking back to what he had learned in the wee hours of the morning. Had it really been true? Was he really a Dragon Master, tasked to save the dragons from being controlled by evil? He had the book, he met Siren, and, he had to admit, he did feel a slight change come over him, almost as if he now possessed some kind of power, or magic. He had to find the signs, of course that would seal the deal, but he was beginning to doubt it. That is, until his friends attempted to get him and Merida alone.

"What? Firewood? Now? But this is my party!" blurted Hiccup.

Fishlegs winced, "Yeah, I know, but, your dad just wants some extra firewood near the fireplace, just in case. I'd help, but I'm in the middle of an important battle right now, and your dad did say one armload would be enough."

"Ugh, OK. Save my spot, will you?"

"Sure!"

"Thanks," sighed Hiccup. He rushed out to the woodpile in the backyard, grabbed a few logs, and rushed back inside. There, standing by the fireplace, was Merida, and Hiccup nearly fell over in shock. "M-Merida!" he blurted.

"Oh, hey Hiccup! Nice dragon figurines your family has!"

Hiccup laid the wood on top of the pile next to the fireplace, "Uh, yeah, thanks. What, what are you doing in here?"

Merida shrugged, "Oh, I wasn't that interested in the game, and your mom said it was fine, so, here I am."

"Oh, wow, um, but you, uh, like dragons?"

"Oh, yes, they're pretty cool! And that feeling of flying . . . ah! I can't wait until I'm eighteen! My dad's going to take me skydiving for my birthday!"

"Wow, that sounds like fun!"

"Would you like to skydive?"

"Uh, yeah, sure, it's probably the closest thing to dragon flying . . . next to paragliding."

Merida chuckled, "No kidding. And maybe horseback riding."

"Horseback? Oh, right, your family owns the stables."

"Yup, you should come over and ride a bit, it's fun!"

"I'll bet it is," Hiccup smiled as he neared the fireplace, and paused. Something was trying to get his attention, and it seemed to come from the fireplace. He picked up a poker and stoked the fire. By moving the ashes and the crackling logs, he noticed something odd.

"Hiccup, what is it?"

"There's something in the fire, I've never seen it before."

"Should I get your parents?"

"No, but, could you grab the tongs, please? Maybe I can get it out for a closer look."

"Right." Merida grabbed the tongs, and between the two of them, managed to get it out. When it was on the stone floor, they could see it was golden, in the shape of a circle with a dragon curled within it, and a symbol that reminded Hiccup of the runes on his dragon book. "Why, it looks like it could be a pendant," stated Merida as Hiccup picked it up with the tongs for an even closer look. He blew on it a few times, hoping that would help cool it down faster so he could touch it. But he already knew exactly what it was, it was one of the signs, probably the one for fire.

"It's not a pendant," Hiccup stated.

"Then what is it?" Hiccup pursed his lips, he was totally going to have to explain, but, how was she going to take it?

He took a deep breath, "Do you want the long story, or the short summary?"

Merida blinked, "I, I guess the summary?"

"Dragons are real, I'm a Dragon Master tasked to save them from being mind-controlled, and this is one of the pieces to help me do that."

"Wait, what? Are you pulling my leg?"

"No, I swear, but, if you don't believe me, explain to me this, there is no place on this, uh, pendant to put a chain through, and it wasn't there when my dad and I started the fire this morning. So, what do you think?"

Merida pursed her lips, "You sure it wasn't there this morning?"

"Positive, and my mom never wears jewelry, and I don't think any of you wore anything like this, if you are wearing jewelry." Merida thought a bit more before eyeing Hiccup.

"And if you are correct?"

"Then I'm going to need your help."

"How?"

"I don't know just yet, but the poem, the prophecy said that with the help of my friends, I would create a wall to protect the dragons."

"Protect the dragons? From what?"

"From an ancient evil bent on controlling the dragons," stated a voice. Hiccup and Merida's head swiveled to see Gobber standing there. "Sorry, Hiccup, I know we said we would give you a week, but there isn't time, the Alpha is rising."


	4. Procure the Signs

Hiccup was ecstatic, with the appearance of Gobber, the two explained everything to Merida, and she began to be persuaded of the truth of the matter. Gobber eventually asked her to wait after school on Monday with Hiccup, and he would give her more proof. Not long after that, Fishlegs came in with Hiccup's dragon book, and all sorts of questions. Hiccup and Gobber quickly explained everything before having to usher them back to the party. The rest of the party went without a hitch, and Sunday passed quietly. On Monday, Merida and Fishlegs practically tackled Hiccup on the way to school, begging for some information, but since Hiccup didn't know that much, they had to settle for waiting until they talked with Gobber after school. And having to wait was perfectly fine as Alvin the Treacherous struck again, giving the three of them after-school detention for being half an hour late to school. But when Hiccup passed Alvin, the principal winked.

"What are you doing here? You didn't get detention!" blurted Fishlegs when Astrid, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and MacIntosh joined them.

"Well we did, as usual," smirked Tuffnut, indicating himself and his sister.

"Yeah, Mac just joins us to keep me company," grinned Ruffnut.

"Bleh," moaned Tuffnut as he moved to sit down.

"He's always doing that," grumbled Ruffnut as she and MacIntosh went and sat together in the back.

Hiccup glanced questioningly at Astrid, "What did they do this time?"

Astrid shrugged, "It seems they thought that blowing up the science lab would be funny." The others chuckled.

"Go figure," snickered Merida.

"But what are you doing here?" Fishlegs asked.

Astrid took the seat next to Merida, "Keeping my best friend company, what else?" But then she leaned in close and eyed Hiccup and Fishlegs, "And to find out exactly what's going on with you three." The three glanced at each other, but Hiccup merely smiled.

"Well, I'm glad you asked, because I just might need your help too."

Astrid blinked, "With what?" Hiccup blinked in turn, there was that feeling again! He glanced around, trying to find the source of it, and surprisingly found it in Astrid's water.

"Um, can I pour that out?"

"What? What for?" Merida glanced at Hiccup in surprise, she was beginning to truly believe.

"There's something in there I have to get. It's part of the whole thing."

Merida nodded at her friend, "Just let him, Astrid." Astrid grumbled, but she let Hiccup pour out the water. The sign was at the very bottom of the cup. It looked somewhat similar to the other sign, except it was more crystalline in color and, Hiccup figured, had the rune for water.

"What the? How did that get in there?" asked Astrid as she took her cup back and glanced at the bottom. Fishlegs, MacIntosh, and the twins crowded around Hiccup for a closer look.

"It's another sign,"whispered Merida.

"A sign for what?" whispered Ruffnut.

"A sign that you are being chosen for a very special job," blurted Alvin as he took a seat opposite Hiccup. The other teens just about flew to other seats, but Hiccup merely nodded at Alvin. "You got the other one?"

"Yes, and I'm beginning to figure out why I need my friends," replied Hiccup as he pulled out the fire sign from a small pocket on his backpack and placed it on the table. His friends came back cautiously, they wanted to see the other sign, but really weren't so sure about Alvin.

"You're going to have to come up with a better place to put those, you can't have them in an easy spot to get to."

Hiccup sighed, "I know, I'm working on it." He glanced at the door, "Where's Gobber?"

"That's the thing, he can't get here, something came up, and he wouldn't tell me, just to get you kids over to his place," explained Alvin as he rose. Hiccup quickly put the two signs back in his backpack.

"Wait, you want all of us to go with you?" asked Fishlegs as Hiccup shouldered his backpack and joined Alvin by the door.

"Well, you can't exactly stay here by yourselves, I'm the only adult in the building."

Fishlegs paled, "You are?"

"Yup, so technically, you have no choice but to come with me. Besides, I think you'll like it." He walked out of the room, followed by the group.

"Dude, a ride with Alvin the Treacherous?" whispered Tuffnut. "I'm not sure if I should be freaking out because this is so cool or because I should be terrified."

"Whatever you do, do not freak out, it would be make things much harder for Gobber if you freak out," stated Alvin.

"OK, I think I will freak out. How did he hear us?" Tuffnut whispered more quietly.

Alvin held the doors to the school open, "Easy, Mr. Thorston, I have ears. Now if you could please hurry up, I would like to get you all back here before your parents have to pick you up."

"Ooo, a secret, this'll be fun," smirked Ruffnut as the group filed into the parking lot. They piled into Alvin's mini van, Hiccup taking shotgun, with the girls in the middle row, and the other three guys in the back.

"So, anyone want to explain what's going on?" asked Astrid as the van hit the road.

"You want the long version or the short?"

"Best to let Gobber handle the details. Besides, his house isn't that far from here, so, start off with the short one," commented Alvin.

Hiccup sighed as he turned to face his friends, "OK, short version is, dragons are real, those who look after them are Dragons Masters, and there's an evil dragon trying to control every dragon out there. I'm a Dragon Master, and I've been tasked with finding the signs, one of which was in your water, Astrid."

"The other was in your fireplace," muttered Merida.

"Yeah, and you were nearby," stated Hiccup.

Merida smiled, "Guess Fire is my element, huh?"

Hiccup turned and faced the front, "Uh, yeah, I guess so." His face began to feel warm, fire was her element for a very good reason.

Merida continued, "Which means Water is Astrid's element."

"But why? You'd think Fire would be more of my element."

HIccup shrugged, "I don't know, the signs chose to show up when you're nearby. Maybe once I've found them all, then we'll know." He glanced back, "But, uh, thanks, for believing me."

"Who said I believed you? Yes, that was weird, finding that thing in my cup when there wasn't anything there before, but that doesn't mean I believe you," remarked Astrid.

Alvin chuckled as he pulled into the driveway, "You will soon."

"Wait, I thought you said Gobber didn't tell you why he couldn't make it."

He parked the car and unbuckled, "You're right, but I've worked with these guys long enough to have a pretty good idea of why. Alright, everybody, remember, don't freak out." They filed out of the mini van and followed Alvin to the front door.

Gobber opened it, "Ah, good, you're here. Sorry about the change of plans, but, we have a bit of a problem."

"I figured as much. So, which is it, Drago and the Alpha, or a dragon?"

"I think you'd better come see this," Gobber stated as he waved them in.

"What the? Are you thinking the younger ones can do a better job than us?" blurted Sandy when she saw the group piling into the living room.

"No, not really, but a little help would be nice," commented Gobber. Gothi just shrugged as she grabbed a towel and raced off.

Alvin glanced between Gobber and the retreating Gothi, "OK, that's new. Did you spill something?"

"We wish." Gobber sighed, "Come on." The group followed Gobber and Sandy down to the basement. As they neared the bottom of the stairs, they saw Gothi stuffing towels into small to medium-sized holes in the wall, but avoided the large on right smack dab in the middle.

"What the?" asked Hiccup. He could sense, well, he didn't know what he sensed, it certainly wasn't a sign, that's for sure. No, this was different, but, what was it?

"These are portals to the land of dragons, there's been a lot opening up all over the wall, and worse, we've found a few around in town," replied Sandy as she stuffed a towel in another hole.

"Wow, that is bad," muttered Alvin as his eyes widened.

"How, how is that bad?"

"We can't let dragons cross, and even more importantly, we can't let evil people like Drago and his men get over," replied Sandy.

"Though he's probably already found the portals and doing exactly that," mumbled Gobber sadly.

Sandy glanced at Hiccup, "All the more reason for our youngest Dragon Master to get a move-on on finding the signs."

Hiccup produced the signs, "Then it's a good thing I found two already."

"It would have been even better if you've already found all six," blurted Sandy.

"I'm working on it," muttered Hiccup as he picked up the signs.

"Oh no, not there, you need to keep those with you at all times. Don't need Drago's men coming around and stealing that from you."

Hiccup glanced at Alvin, "I'm working on that too."

"Well, work a little faster on that, that's probably more important at the moment." Gothi held up her hand, and walked off. "Now what?" asked Sandy.

Gobber shrugged, "I don't know, but, in the meantime, do you want to see a real dragon?"

"Yes!" blurted Fishlegs and Merida. Gobber grinned, and walked through the hole in the wall. Everyone gasped.

"Where, where did he go?" asked Astrid.

"To the other side," Alvin stated with an air of melancholy. He burst into a grin when the teens glanced at him in surprise, "To the land of dragons, of course. What did you think I meant?" At that moment, Gothi returned with a small pouch on a length of cord.

"Is that, is that for the signs?" asked Hiccup. Gothi nodded as she put it in his hands. Hiccup placed the signs in the pouch, they fit perfectly. He smiled, "Thanks!" Gothi nodded.

"Well, how's this to erase any doubt about dragons?" blurted Gobber, startling everyone as his form reappeared from the hole, accompanied by the blackest dragon they had ever seen, but Hiccup knew right away what dragon it was, and more importantly, whose it was.

"Is that, is that my dragon?" Gobber nodded as the dragon approached Hiccup, the others watching in wide-eyed amazement. Hiccup put out his hand, and the dragon touched his palm, purring softly as a connection seemed to tingle through them. "Hey there bud, happy to see me finally?" The dragon snorted and licked his face.

"Well, whatcha gonna name name him?" asked Sandy.

Hiccup thought for a bit as he petted his dragon before replying with, "Hey, he's got no teeth!"

Gobber chuckled, "Of course he does! He's a Nightfury! They have retractable teeth!"

Sandy scoffed, "Yeah, and apparently someone didn't read his book."

Hiccup grinned sheepishly, "Uh, yeah, well, I think I'll name him . . . Toothless."

Merida came forward, "May I?" Both Toothless and Hiccup nodded. She petted Toothless, "You are so cute!" Toothless seemed to like the praise.

Hiccup turned to the others, "Now do you believe?"

"Dragons are real!" squealed Fishlegs.

"Ow, that's my ear!" complained Tuffnut.

"Sorry," grinned Fishlegs.

Astrid crossed her arms, "OK, I believe you, but now what?"

"That's the question, isn't it? But I think Hiccup already answered, you have to help him find the signs," replied Gobber.

"Well, we've found two," began Astrid.

Hiccup sighed, "Four more to go."

"Alright, where should we start?" asked Tuffnut. The others glanced at him.

"Well, considering Hiccup's already started . . ." began Gobber.

"Why don't you start by letting us come up with a plan?" suggested Alvin.

"Oh, OK," replied Tuffnut.

Hiccup turned to the older Dragon Masters, "So, what should we do?"

"Well, you keep looking for the signs, we'll handle the portals as best as we can. We are going to need a couple open so we can get you to the temple, but we'll try to get the rest of them closed."

"OK, are you sure you don't need my help?"

"We do need your help, we need you to find the signs!" blurted Sandy. She glanced at Gobber, "So you showed them the dragon and got his friends to believe, you need to send the dragon back home, and Hiccup back out for the rest of the signs!"

"OK, OK," stated Gobber as he put up his hands. Toothless and Hiccup moaned. "I know, boys, but she does have a point. Maybe if you found the signs faster, you could cross over sooner . . ."

Hiccup sighed, "Guess this is goodbye for now, Toothless. I'll see you soon, alright?" The dragon cooed before letting Gobber lead him back through the portal.

"Now it's time for the rest of you to get going," shooed Sandy.

"But, Gobber was supposed to tell us everything!" Fishlegs blurted as they rushed up the stairs.

"Yeah, well, not right now! We have a lot on our plates! If you really want to know more, borrow Hiccup's book!" She practically tossed the teens and Alvin out the door and slammed it shut.

"OK, back to the school and plan your next . . ." Hiccup's gasp made Alvin pause. There, in the tree behind Ruffnut's head, was another sign. Hiccup quickly climbed the tree, grabbed it, and climbed down.

"Whoa, where'd you learn to climb like that, man?" asked Tuffnut.

"The tree outside my window," Hiccup replied absent-mindedly as he turned over the sign in his hand. Like the other two, this was a circle with a dragon curled up within it, but this circle looked like a mix of blue and white with the symbol for air. He glanced at his friends, "Three down, three to go."

"This is going a bit fast, don't you think?" asked Astrid.

Hiccup shook his head as he put the air sign in the pouch, "I don't think so, I think this is happening all right now for a reason. Drago might be getting closer to his goal than we think."

"And what goal is that?" asked Fishlegs worriedly.

"Waking the Alpha to control all of the dragons, and eventually, the world," stated Alvin as he got back into the van. "Well, are you guys coming or what?" The gang piled back into the van, and Alvin drove them back to the school. They finished up detention with promising to meet up at Hiccup's house the next day to read his book and hopefully get some answers. They were certainly going to get them, but not in the way they had imagined.


	5. Portal Outside My Window

The whole gang showed up at Hiccup's house, Eret, Heather, Dagur, and Snotlout included.

"Why did you invite them over?" asked Hiccup when they walked in behind Astrid.

Astrid shrugged, "Figured it would be best if the whole gang was here. We are all your friends, right?"

"Yeah, but . . ."

"We'll worry about making them believe later, something's bound to happen, right?"

Hiccup sighed, "I guess so." He really didn't want to prove the existence of dragons, again, but it was necessary that all of his friends help, he didn't know which ones were needed to find the last three signs. He led them up the stairs to his room, where everyone else was already gathered, Fishlegs practically devouring the book.

"Whoa, did you know that the Nightfury is one of the most deadliest and most intelligent of all the dragons, right behind the Alpha? Your Nightfury could become the dragon king!"

Hiccup gave him a lopsided grin, "Yeah, thanks, Fishlegs."

"Wait, what Nightfury? I've never heard of it. How did you get it?"

"Um, Snotlout, this isn't Dragon Tamers."

"Oh, you guys found a new game!"

"No, this isn't a game." Hiccup sighed and did his best to explain everything to Eret, Dagur, Heather and Snotlout. And, as he figured, they didn't believe him.

"Oh come on, do you expect me to believe that there are real dragons?" scoffed Eret.

"But there are!" began Merida.

"Don't tell me he's got you in on this as well?" asked Heather.

"But it's true!" blurted both Astrid and Merida, quickly becoming upset that their friend wasn't believing them. The others chimed in about meeting Toothless for real, and letting Hiccup show them the signs. But, again, they didn't quite believe them, though they did find it rather weird. Perhaps there was something to it? But Hiccup suggested that they put it to the side for now and concentrate on learning what they could from the book. Of course, with the homework laid out just in case either of Hiccup's parents came in on them. They learned about Dragon Masters and their powers, the ability to communicate with dragons, create and control portals between the two worlds, among other things. Then came the best part, the dragons. Of course there was the Alphas and the Nightfuries, but there were also Snow Wraiths, Night Terrors, Nadders, Gronkles, Zipplebacks, and a whole slew of others to wonder over.

"For a game, this is pretty descriptive," muttered Eret after Fishlegs read out the details of the Rumblehorn species.

Fishlegs sighed, "This isn't a game!"

"Don't worry about it, Fishlegs, there'll be something to show up that will convince them," stated MacIntosh.

Hiccup scoffed, "If only we could be so sure."

"What are you talking, about, you're the Dragon Master!" blurted Ruffnut.

"That doesn't mean I know everything!" Hiccup retaliated.

"But that's why we're here, to learn what we can from the book," pointed out Fishlegs.

"Yeah, that's . . ."

"Hiccup, what is it?" asked Merida as he rose from his seat on the bed.

"I, I don't know . . . I think . . . I think a portal just opened up near here," he muttered.

"A portal?" asked Merida as she began to follow.

"Alright, told ya!" smirked Tuffnut.

"How can you tell?" asked Astrid.

"I . . . it's hard to explain. It's not quite the same sensation I get when a sign is nearby, but it's . . . kind of similar."

"So wait, you're telling me that you can sense a portal nearby?" scoffed Snotlout.

"Think you could call Toothless to you?" Fishlegs asked.

"Um, I can try." Hiccup closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to find that link that he felt with Toothless the other day. He reached with his mind, trying to grab a hold of something, anything, but nothing happened. Hiccup opened his eyes and shook his head, "Nothing."

"Of course there's nothing, because there is no portal!" quipped Snotlout. Dagur glared at him. "What?"

"Just be quiet," mumbled Dagur.

"Maybe you need to put your hand through the portal," suggested MacIntosh.

Hiccup nodded, "I'll try that." He walked to the window, opened it, and stuck his hand out. It went into the portal, making everyone gasp. Hiccup only thought of how weird it felt, almost like putting his hand into thick water, if that was even possible. But he pushed that thought aside and turned his thoughts to Toothless, the link now a faint pulse. He called out to the dragon, and the pulse seemed to grow, letting Hiccup know that not only did the dragon hear, he was responding. He let out a yelp as a black mass pushed through the portal, knocking him back into the room.

"Whoa," breathed Heather.

"OK, bud, OK, I'm happy to see you too, but there are some people here who would like to meet you." Hiccup managed to get out from under Toothless' wet tongue and introduced his friends to his dragon. He finished with, "I guess you're all going to want to touch him, right?"

"Uh, may we?" asked Heather. Hiccup and Toothless nodded. One by one, Heather, Dagur, Snotlout, and Eret petted the black dragon.

"Hiccup, is everything alright?"

Hiccup gasped, "Hide Toothless!" The teens moved quickly hiding Toothless under the bed, getting everything picked up, and their homework out. "Yeah, mom, we're fine!"

Stoick opened the door, "Are you sure? What was that noise?"

"Oh, I uh, just tripped over Tuffnut," Hiccup grinned sheepishly.

"Well yeah, because I tripped you," snickered Tuffnut.

Stoick sighed, "Alright, but you should concentrate more on your homework instead of playing pranks, Tuffnut."

"Yes sir."

"Why don't you kids move downstairs?"

"But Dad . . ."

"We're heading out to take care of a few errands, we'll be back in a half hour," Valka announced. The teens glanced at each other.

"Really?" asked Astrid.

"What are you two planning?" Hiccup eyed them.

Valka gave him a little smirk, "It has nothing to do with you, so don't worry about it."

"You sure we should leave them? No doubt once we walk out the door, they'll be playing Dragon Tamers, or something, anything but their homework."

Valka glanced over them, "Oh, I'm sure they'll do the right thing. Come on, we should get going. You kids be good, you hear!"

"Yes ma'am!" they chorused. They waited in silence as they listened to the fading footsteps, the closing of the front door, the car engine starting, and the car pulling out of the driveway. Hiccup waited a couple of minutes before walking towards the window and peering out.

"They're gone."

"Yes! Now we can head downstairs! I'm hungry," exclaimed Tuffnut.

"What the?"

"What is it?" asked Merida as she joined Hiccup's side. She took one look out the window and closed the curtains.

"Uh, guys, what did you see?" asked Astrid.

"I, I think we're surrounded, by Drago's men," explained Hiccup as he took a peek through the curtains. He gasped, "They're approaching the house! Eret, Fishlegs, McGuffin, Snotlout, Tuffnut, Dagur, Dingwall, you guys head downstairs and make sure all the windows and doors locked. Everyone else, check the windows on the second floor, make sure they're locked and the curtains are closed!"

"What about you?" asked MacIntosh.

"I have to get Toothless through the portal and try to close it!" Hiccup blurted as he tried to push his dragon out from under the bed.

"Oh, right, they're heading for any portals they can find!" exclaimed Fishlegs before he bolted down the stairs, followed by the rest of his group. The other half of the gang rushed towards the other rooms on the second floor, leaving Hiccup alone to figure out how get his dragon to cooperate, and how to close a portal.

"Come on, Toothless, you need to go back! What's wrong with you?" The dragon would only move to stay as far away from the portal as possible and cover his head every now and then. "Come on bud, you can tell me, what is it? What's going on?" Toothless could only moan and cover his head. A yelp and a cut-off scream made Hiccup's heart nearly stop. "Merida! Fishlegs! Guys!" He burst through his bedroom door, only to be met by the terror-stricken faces of Dagur and Heather, and a familiar sensation that dissipated pretty quickly. 'Oh no," he muttered as his eyes widened. "Did they go through a portal?"

"Yes, it popped up out of nowhere," reported Dagur. "Hiccup, I think, I think Drago found a way to create portals without needing the Dragon Masters."

"What, what do you mean?"

"His men were holding some kind of device, one part of it was aimed at the portal that opened up by your window, the other was aimed at the front of your house."

Heather nodded, "That's where we were when a portal opened up and, and swallowed everyone!"

"After the others went through, I saw that they went through another portal. That when I ran up here."

"And now those portals are closed." Hiccup heard a snort from behind him. He turned, there was Toothless, standing by the window, indicating to him to come. "Toothless?" Hiccup paused as a sudden realization hit him. "That device they were using apparently was affecting Toothless!" He turned to Dagur and Heather. "You know where Gobber's house is?"

"Uh yeah, you . . ."

"Go there now, tell them that Drago's men may have taken the others captive."

"And let you go find them by yourself? Not a chance, we're like brothers, remember?"

"Listen, they're after me, I'm the Dragon Master who's going to put an end to Drago's plans, OK? Toothless and I can do it quietly, don't forget, Nightfuries are pretty quiet fliers. And I need someone to tell Gobber what's going on. They have a portal, you can come help then, but I need to go now, I can sense this other portal is closing." He rushed to Toothless and jumped on his back. "Tell Gobber everything you saw! We'll be careful!"

"Wait, Hiccup!" But the dragon and his rider jumped through the portal, and by the time Dagur and Heather reached the window, they found out that the portal was gone.


	6. Putting Friends First

What Hiccup didn't feel before with his hand, he now felt with his whole body. It almost did feel like he was under water, ice water, with an air bauble covering him and Toothless. It was weird, to say the least, and a bit uncomfortable, but before he said he wasn't going to that again, he realized he was going to have to, to get back home. He groaned, things were spiralling out of control way too fast for him. He had just found out he was a Dragon Master only a few days ago, and now here he was, riding a dragon as they searched for his friends. Drago apparently wasn't going to let Hiccup get much further in his search for the signs. Hiccup gritted his teeth, well then, he was going to fight Drago with everything he had to stop him from going through with his plan. He and Toothless glided through the night sky, looking for any kind of a camp, or even a sign of his friends. But when they had traveled for miles with no signs of any kind and sleep threatening to take over, they stopped to rest in a cave, hoping the daylight would bring better results.

"So, what do you say bud, should we circle around and check that area again?" Toothless shook his head. "Why not? We could have missed something." Hiccup gasped as a voice went through his head.

"I can smell a lot of things from a distance, and I know what your friends smell like. I didn't smell any of them when we passed over." Hiccup just opened and closed his mouth. "What? Didn't you know that Dragon Masters can communicate with their dragons? I've heard about it from all the other dragons, and even Gobber!"

"No! I mean, yes! I mean . . . I knew that, but, why didn't you communicate with me earlier?"

Toothless shrugged, "I don't know, I tried, but couldn't get through. I could only sense our connection. Perhaps only here we can communicate?"

Hiccup nodded, "That makes sense. OK, onward then?"

Toothless nodded, "Onward." Hiccup opened his mouth, only to look down. Another one, but, how? None of his friends were here. "Hiccup?"

"A sign," he muttered as he knelt to push the dirt around. In a minute, his hand grasped it and pulled it out of the ground. This one was bronze with the rune for earth. "But, how? None of my friends are here!"

"Am I not your friend?

Hiccup glanced at the dragon, "Oh, right, you are, sorry, I'm used to having my other friends nearby." He placed the copper piece in the pouch around his neck. "Alright, I'm expecting that nose to work well."

Toothless snorted, "It will, it hasn't failed me yet, nor will it until I'm fifty years old."

Hiccup chuckled as he climbed back on Toothless, "Good to know. Let's go." Toothless took off, heading in a northwestern direction. The two used their link to communicate tales of their past and family. Toothless kept teasing him about Merida, of course, but for the most part, it was a pleasant conversation. They took a quick break for lunch before continuing on their search, Toothless pointing out a few dragons to Hiccup. The sun was beginning to set when Toothless let out an exclamation.

"There's one!"

"Really? Who?" Toothless just snickered as he descended.

"Hiccup! I'm so glad to see you!" exclaimed Merida as she approached them.

"Merida! Are you alright? Where's everyone else?"

Merida shrugged, "I don't know, I was the last one through. I waited around for Heather, but when she didn't show, I hightailed it away from the spot in case any of Drago's men were in the area."

Hiccup beamed, "Smart. But, uh, where'd you get the bow and quiver?"

Merida grinned sheepishly, "Oh, yeah, about that, I did run into one of Drago's men, but, uh, well . . ." She turned to the bushes and waved. Another Nightfury approached cautiously. "He was trying to take her to Drago, and since I helped her get free, she's been walking with me." Toothless approached the Nightfury, and the two seemed to introduce each other. "I hope she doesn't mind, but, I named her Morrigan."

"Morrigan?"

Merida placed her hands on her hips, "And Mum says I'm bad about ignoring the lesson." Hiccup grinned sheepishly. "Morrigan is the Celtic goddess of the night and death."

"Really? That totally fits a Nightfury."

"Yes, and a much better name than Toothless."

"Hey, what's wrong with it?"

"Toothless? Really? You couldn't come up with anything more original than that?"

"And using the name of a Celtic goddess is more original?"

"OK, OK, you have a point."

"She says she likes Morrigan," Toothless communicated.

"Toothless says she likes it, though, Morrigan, she likes it."

"Oh, wonderful!"

"Well, now that we're all introduced, let's go find the others, and hopefully Gobber."

Merida nodded, "Right." She watched Hiccup climb onto Toothless before glancing at Morrigan. "Um, Morrigan, may I ride you?" The dragon nodded, and with a whoop, Merida climbed on. The two took off, keeping to the same direction as before, the four chatting as best they could with each other, Hiccup having to do a lot of translating. But it worked well for the most part, allowing Merida to get to know her dragon a bit more. They had to stop for the night, and the dragons helped them get together a small fire. The dragons fell asleep almost as soon as dinner was over, but Hiccup and Merida talked long into the night. Early the next morning, they had a quick breakfast before taking off, keeping their eyes peeled for anything.

"Look!" exclaimed Merida as she pointed to the ground. Morrigan had apparently seen it at the same time and let out a yelp before descending to the ground.

"Wait, Merida, Morrigan!" shouted Hiccup as Toothless took off in pursuit. The dragons descended pretty quickly, Toothless touching ground only seconds after Morrigan. Merida alighted and rushed over to the still smouldering campfire. She knelt and looked at the area around the campfire while the dragons sniffed.

"Your friends were here! And so were the other Dragon Masters!" Toothless communicated.

"Really? You think you could find out where they went?"

"Or you could just ask," blurted Sandy as they emerged from the bushes.

"Gobber, Gothi, Sandy! You're alright! You're all here!" exclaimed Hiccup. Merida and Astrid quickly hugged before the questions came out about Morrigan. Merida and Hiccup explained everything before they found out what happened to their friends.

"Well, when we came through, apparently there was supposed to be a convoy waiting to capture us. The convoy was there, but they weren't waiting, they were dealing with some dragons. We took the opportunity to help the dragons and with their help, sent those men running," grinned Eret.

"And now we have our own dragons!" Fishlegs exclaimed with joy.

"And you were amazing," smiled Astrid.

"Why, thank you," replied Eret before they kissed.

"Yuck!" complained Tuffnut.

"Anyway, when Dagur and Heather came to tell us what had happened, we jumped into action. We had Alvin detain them long enough to close the portal after us so they couldn't get through," explained Gobber.

Sandy scoffed, "Yeah, we have to take care of eleven kids already! It's not like two more are going to make much of a difference." She turned to Hiccup, "How are you with finding the signs?"

"Four down, two to go," Hiccup happily reported.

"Four? You found another one?" Asked Fishlegs. Hiccup nodded as he pulled out the signs to show them real quick.

"I found Earth yesterday morning. Here's Air, Fire, and Water. All that's left is Lightning and Ice."

Gobber nodded, "And I'm thinking you'll find both of them on our way to the temple."

Hiccup blinked, "What makes you say that?"

Gobber pointed south, "We've got rain coming in, which means there's bound to be lightning, and the temple is surrounded by ice. So there you go, the last two signs."

"Wow, this has all been so, so quick, so . . . almost easy."

"Oh, the hard part's coming, you can count on that," quipped Sandy.

"Well, getting the signs into the temple and in the right place isn't exactly as easy as making a cake."

"Yeah, but, what about the copper bell and the golden apples?" asked Fishlegs.

Hiccup blinked, "What?"

"The six elemental signs must be found; To keep the dragonstone in the ground; The youngest Dragon Master will find them all; And with his friends will create a wall; The signs encircled to prevent a disaster dire; Before the stone stand Earth, Ice, and Fire; Protect the tree with Air, Lightning, and Water; They must be placed in the proper order. Between Earth and Lightning stands a Fire so hot; Almost like what the dragon's mouth begot; Between Lightning and Water stands the gentle Air; Like the dragon's flight, graceful and fair; Between Earth and Water stands the royal Ice; All in the hands of the one who rolls the dice. So listen, Dragon Master, listen well; You will also need the copper bell; And the golden apples three; To save the dragons and keep them free," rambled off Fishlegs.

"Oh yeah, that's the other hard part," stated Gobber.

"What? B-but, but, where . . . how . . ."

"Of course you would forget that part!"

"Yes, of course he would, we've only been talking about him getting the signs! Why shouldn't he forget that part?' asked Gobber. Gothi nodded as Sandy grumbled. Gobber turned to Hiccup, "The copper bell and the golden apples are on the way too, so we'd better get going. It's going to take a little while."

"How long is a little while?" asked Astrid.

"Oh, about a week, maybe."

"A week!"

"Yup, so we'd better get going. Come on!" Gobber, Gothi, and Sandy each climbed onto a dragon. The teens groaned as they followed suit, and the group was soon heading off north, towards an icy temple.


	7. Pushing Forward

The group flew a ways before needing to stop for the night, but by then, all of the new dragons were named, and Hiccup got the Lightning sign, a copper piece, as the storm passed overhead. That night, around the campfire, everyone began asking questions.

"How did Drago know where I live?"

"How did you know where to find us?" asked Astrid.

"Why is everything happening so fast?" asked Merida.

"Do we really need to be a part of this?" sighed Dingwall.

'How are the golden apples and the copper bell supposed to help?"

"Good question, Fishlegs," ginned Hiccup.

"Thanks," Fishlegs smiled back.

"Can we stay here forever?" came Tuffnut's question. Everyone glanced at him. "What? It's nice not having to worry about school and parents."

"You've got a point there," mumbled his sister as she leaned into MacIntosh.

"I think a better question is, are we going to survive this?" stated Eret.

Gobber sighed as he stood up, "And that is the hardest one to answer, the best I've got for you is, I don't know. We'll try our very best to keep you all alive, but, there are eleven of you, and only three of us, we can't keep watching for every arrow or every fireball that come your way. You are going to have to watch each other's backs. Your dragons will help, there's no doubt about that, but, when it comes to battle, we're not going to be able to help you. As for how Drago knew where you lived, Hiccup, it's not hard, actually. Drago is a smart man, evil, but smart, and observant. He knew about the prophecy, so he was watching for you as much as we were, the only difference is that we found you first. But when he figured it out, he's had someone keeping an eye on you."

"OK, that's creepy," muttered Tuffnut.

Gobber nodded, "But Drago only needed to know when you were going to start finding the signs so that he could attempt to prevent you from finding them. And it looks like that failed."

Snotlout raised his hand, "Uh, I hate to be the evil genius here, but, if Drago knew Hiccup was the Dragon Master of the prophecy, wouldn't it have been easier to kill him?"

"Hey!"

"It would have, but, then Drago would lose his passage to the Dragon World." Everyone glanced at Gobber questioningly. "Being untrained, Hiccup can call up portals without knowing it and cannot close them at command, and since the rest of us wouldn't have opened a portal for Drago, he figured that Hiccup was his best bet to entering the world of dragons."

"So, so basically, I let him in?"

Gobber shook his head, "No, you didn't."

"Right, that device those guys had," pointed out Fishlegs.

"Partially, but, it was mainly us." Their mouths and eyes widened in shock.

"What? You?"

Sandy sighed, nodding, "Yes, us, we pretty much had to choose between you or a portal. Not long after your family moved from Berk, a large portal opened up, and we had to choose either losing track of you, or letting Drago get through. We figured you were more important, and we let Drago get through."

"Uh, do you think this could have all been avoided had you closed the portal?" asked Eret.

Gothi and Sandy shook their heads, but Sandy spoke, "No, because Drago would have stuck close to Hiccup to get his chance. But things would have gone a lot more slowly if we had, that's for sure. The only reason why things are speeding up is because Drago has finally gotten through to the Alpha and is waking him up."

"Oh, wow, um, OK, well . . . that answers two questions," stated Hiccup.

"Three, I answered Eret's first," remarked Gobber.

"OK, three, out of what, seven?" mentioned Merida.

"Right, well, as for the others, no, you can't stay here forever, you're not dragons. Dragons are good at tracking, as good as any bloodhound, so that's how we found you pretty quick."

"Oh," they chorused.

"The six elemental signs must be found; To keep the dragonstone in the ground; The youngest Dragon Master will find them all; And with his friends will create a wall; The signs encircled to prevent a disaster dire; Before the stone stand Earth, Ice, and Fire; Protect the tree with Air, Lightning, and Water; They must be placed in the proper order. Between Earth and Lightning stands a Fire so hot; Almost like what the dragon's mouth begot; Between Lightning and Water stands the gentle Air; Like the dragon's flight, graceful and fair; Between Earth and Water stands the royal Ice; All in the hands of the one who rolls the dice. So listen, Dragon Master, listen well; You will also need the copper bell; And the golden apples three; To save the dragons and keep them free," rambled off Gobber.

Sandy groaned, "Will you please stop repeating the prophecy!"

"What? I need to refresh their memories!"

"Theirs, or yours?"

Gobber ignored the comment and got into it, "According to the prophecy, Hiccup's friends are supposed to help him create a wall, apparently between Drago and the Alpha."

"Maybe we have to hold the signs?" suggested Merida.

"Nah, there's probably some kind of pillar or something the signs are supposed to go on. The copper bell will probably confuse the Alpha, messing up any communications there might be between him and Drago, and the three golden apples are supposed to slow down his waking, giving Hiccup enough time to get the signs in the temple."

"OK, where are the copper bell and the golden apples?"

"In an enclosed garden we'll come across tomorrow. Only Hiccup can enter.'

"Oh, great," muttered Hiccup.

"What? Seriously, you are the only creature who can enter," stated Gobber.

"Really?"

"Oh, I think I know the garden Gobber speaks of, and he is right. All dragons avoid it, those who attempted to enter got seriously hurt," Toothless told Hiccup.

Gobber nodded, "Yup, anyone or anything else that tries to enter get hurt."

"Whoa," breathed the others.

"Told ya," smirked Toothless, though Hiccup was the only one who heard him.

Sandy stood up and stretched, "Well, I don't know about you, but I need my beauty sleep." The group glanced at her. "What? I was actually beautiful once, you know."

"Really? Don't look it now," scoffed Snotlout. Sandy glared at him.

"I think we should all go to bed, we still have a ways to go, and we still need to stop at the garden."

Hiccup sighed, "Right. Well, goodnight." The others echoed goodnights before they turned in for the night. They woke up fairly early the next morning, had a quick breakfast, and were soon on their way. It was a little after lunch when Gobber pointed out the garden and they landed. The outside of the garden was covered in vines, obscuring the door, while magnificent, green trees could be seen just peeking over the wall.

"Wow, I wonder what the inside looks like," muttered Merida.

"Yeah, well, only Hiccup can see it," stated Gobber.

"If I could see the door," muttered Hiccup. Gobber placed a hand on his shoulder and pointed at a part of the wall. Hiccup let out a breath and walked towards the vine-covered wall. As he neared it, the vines parted, and there, visible now, was a door. Letting out another breath, Hiccup opened the door, and walked in. "Wow," he gasped as he walked further into the garden. There were snapdragons everywhere in various hues with clusters of marigolds dotting the ground here and there. There was a stone path leading through the garden to the center, where a gazebo stood flanked by three trees. The gazebo looked like a mini Stonehenge with a vine-covered, stone roof. The golden apple tree was standing behind it, while two other trees Hiccup had never seen before stood on either side. The tree on the left looked like a palm had met a mushroom with dark orange berries, while the tree on the right looked like a mix of tree and cactus, a much friendlier looking cactus, with spiked, reddish fruit. Curving around the three trees grew a hedge dotted with citrus fruit. Hiccup took a moment to take it all in before walking towards the gazebo, and sure enough, sitting there on the table in the center of the gazebo sat the copper bell. Hiccup went straight to the apple tree and plucked three apples before returning to the gazebo. He stuffed a cloth into the bell before stuffing the bell into his pocket. He walked back to the wall and, taking one more glance around, left the garden. He explained everything he had seen.

"Oh, the tree with the red fruit is a dragonfruit tree, the other tree is a Dragon's Blood tree, the smaller dragons just love those berries. And that hedge is Flying Dragon orange, a pretty sturdy plant. Oh, and the tree in the prophecy is a dragonfruit tree too."

"Wow, now I'm beginning to really wish I could see that garden," muttered Eret as he glanced back.

"Well, you can't, only Hiccup could enter."

"Why is that?" asked Hiccup.

"Not long after the Alpha was put to sleep, a spell was put on the garden to keep everyone, and everything, out so that its powers wouldn't be used for ill."

"Its powers?"

"Yeah, like longevity, healing, increased abilities, or in the case of the apples, protection from evil. And since the Alpha is evil, three apples will only put him to sleep for a few minutes. You're going to have to work fast, Hiccup."

"Right." Two days later, they flew across the ocean towards an island with ice spiralling into the sky.

"There it is, the ice temple," announced Gobber. The group glanced at it in awe and solemnity, this was where it would end.


	8. Protecting What Matters

As Gobber predicted, Hiccup found the Ice sign not long after they landed, almost as soon as they landed, in fact. Eret had placed his hand on a piece of the ice, and Hiccup found it there. Hiccup wondered about it for a second before Gobber rushed them on towards the temple.

"I don't see Drago or his men, maybe you can put the signs in place before they do get here. Guess you won't need the bell or the apples!" They practically screeched to a halt once within the temple. There, in the very center, stood a large green and brown stone, the dragonstone, next to the same cactus-like tree Hiccup saw in the garden, the dragonfruit tree. But standing in front of them stood a lone figure with a black cloak draped over his shoulder. He turned around when he heard their approach.

"Gobber, Sandy, Gothi! So good to see you again! And I see you've brought your new Dragon Master." He laughed, "Did you think that three old Dragon Masters and elven kids are going to stop me?"

"The prophecy says so," blurted Sandy.

He laughed again, "Not all prophecies come true. What would you do if your young, precious Dragon Master died?" A group of men entered the temple from the other side, swords and bows drawn. Hiccup and his friends drew their own weapons as their dragons inched closer, growling. Everyone paused as the ground rumbled. "The Alpha is waking up finally, and your little party isn't going to stop me!"

"Dragons, fire! Everyone, outside!" blurted Gobber. The dragons let loose several fireballs as the group dashed out the door. The dragons joined them at a distance from the temple doors.

"That cloak is made from dragon skin!" growled Toothless to Hiccup.

"What? The cloak is made from dragon skin?"

Sandy's eyes widened, "It's just as I feared, Drago no doubt killed a Nightfury to obtain it."

"A Nightfury? How . . . ah!" An arrow whizzed by Hiccup's head.

"Alright, this is it! Remember what I said, watch each other's backs!" Gobber quickly shouted before Drago's men charged the group. Arrows whizzed across the field as swords clashed. Hiccup glanced at Gobber between his fights, he understood now why the Dragon Master wanted Hiccup to learn sword-fighting. He took a quick glance at his friends before his sword clashed with another, he was glad they all had some kind of experience with weapons, otherwise, it would have been all over. Hiccup dispatched the warrior fairly quickly, and found himself facing his next opponent, Drago.

"For such a puny, inexperienced thing, you're not half bad." Drago swung his sword a few times, Hiccup blocking each one.

Hiccup gasped as he glanced beneath the cloak, "Your, your arm!"

Drago smiled, "A small price to pay for this fabulous cloak, made from the skin of your dragon's kind. Very effective, isn't it?"

"Why do you want to control the dragons? Why do you want to control the world?"

"Why do you want to be great? Why do you want the attention of a pretty girl?"

"Wh-what are you getting at?"

Drago walked slowly around Hiccup, "Don't we all want to be great? Your version of greatness would come in the attention of a pretty girl, mine is the control of dragons."

"But, why? Can't you find greatness in another way, like, by helping people, or dragons?"

"I am helping someone, myself, and the Alpha. Why was the Alpha put to sleep?"

"Because he's the last of his kind, and the Dragon Masters didn't want to kill him."

"And?"

"And because he was trying to control the dragons for evil intentions."

"Did you ever think that the Dragon Masters may have been wrong?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"Do you even know what the Alpha's intentions were?"

"I . . . uh . . .I . . ."

"Of course not, why would they tell you? They were afraid you'd find out the same thing I did, that the Alpha only wanted to protect the dragons."

"At the cost of them losing control over their minds, their actions?"

"Some things have to be done for the good of all."

"Not to the point where they lose their ability to choose."

"Choose what? They're animals, there's really nothing for them to choose." Drago lifted his sword over his head, swung it in circles, and shouted, turning to face the area where the Alpha slept as he did so. Hiccup backed up, frantically trying to pull out the bell.

"Toothless!" he shouted over the link. "I'm ringing the bell!" He finally got out the bell and yanked out the handkerchief.

"What is that?"

"A much more sophisticated way to communicate with the Alpha than that . . . yell you just did," retorted Hiccup right before he rung the bell. The rumbling stopped.

"No!" Drago charged Hiccup, and was sent sprawling to the ground by a fireball. Hiccup glanced over, Toothless gave him a nod. Hiccup sheathed his sword as he rushed towards Toothless.

"Thanks bud, now let's give that Alpha these apples!" Toothless roared before taking off, the two racing towards the Alpha's head. It was partially out of the ground, his mouth partially open. "OK, get me as close as possible!" Toothless nodded and soared closer to the Alpha, getting as close to his mouth as possible. Hiccup pulled out the three apples and tossed them into the mouth one at a time. "Yes! Let's get back to the others!" Toothless flew back, Hiccup jumping off his back as soon as he landed.

"Hiccup, are you alright?" asked Merida as he approached the group.

"Yeah, is everyone alright?"

"Doing pretty good, a few scratches here and there, but we're still alive, that's all that matters," reported Eret.

"Hiccup, go put the signs in place!" ordered Sandy.

"But how? There's nothing to hold them!" Gobber opened his mouth to answer when a yell distracted them. Drago was at it again, waving the blade over his head as he yelled. A few dots on the horizon behind him were getting bigger, and fast.

"The rest of Drago's army!" blurted Gobber.

"What should we do?"

"We need to cover Hiccup so he can get the signs to the temple!"

"But how am I going to set it up, lay them on the ground?"

"No, they need to be facing the tree and the stone!" stated Sandy. The group glanced at the advancing army.

"Whatever we're going to do, we need to do it fast!" exclaimed Astrid. A loud bellowing echoed over the island.

"Uh, you gave the Alpha all three apples, right?" asked Gobber.

"Oh no," gasped Merida. She pointed towards the center of the island, the Alpha was slowly getting up.

"Are you serious? Three apples only gave us, what, three minutes?" blurted Tuffnut. Hiccup gulped, and they had spent it on arguing over what to do.

"We're too late," whispered Astrid.


	9. Placing Them in Order

"Hiccup! Hurry it up! Get the signs to the temple, now!" shouted Gobber as he, Sandy, and Gothi headed towards Drago.

"But how am I supposed to set them up?" Hiccup shouted back.

"Your girlfriend was on the right track!"

"She is not my girlfriend!"

"Seriously? Now is not the time to be arguing your relationship status!" exclaimed Astrid. But Hiccup had already turned to Merida, wondering about the more important issue at hand.

"What right track?" Merida glanced at him quizzically, but her eyes widened in realization.

"There has to be people holding the signs!"

"Yeah, but which people?" asked Eret.

"Well, Hiccup's one," replied Merida.

Hiccup gasped, "I know. Merida, Astrid, Eret, Ruffnut, MacIntosh, you're with me! Snotlout, Fishlegs, Tuffnut, Dingwall, and McGuffin, I need you to cover us! We're going to have to make this quick!"

"Right!" came the unanimous reply. The teens split up, Snotlout's group steered their dragons towards Drago's army, while Hiccup's group went in low towards the temple.

"Stop them!" shouted Drago. Several of his men aimed for Hiccup's group, but Snotlout's group swooped in and engaged them in battle. "No! Stop them, you fools! Stop them! Ah!" Drago and his dragon were sent flying by one of Gothi's dragon's fireballs.

"Give it up, Drago, the prophecy states that we shall win," announced Gobber.

"Never! The Alpha shall awaken, and all dragons will belong to me!"

"Nope, not gonna happen," stated Gobber before he, Sandy, and Gothi re-engaged Drago in battle, primarily to keep him from getting to the temple. Meanwhile, Hiccup's group was making their way to the center of the temple. Hiccup's face was grim as he opened a pouch on his belt and handed out the six signs.

"Hiccup?" asked Merida.

"We, we have to stand around the stone and the tree with the signs." He glanced at each one with sorrow, "I don't know if we'll even make it out alive. If I could do this by myself, I would, but, I need your help."

"You know we're here for you, right?" asked Eret, placing a reassuring hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

"We're in this together, Hiccup, for good or bad," remarked Merida.

"But, if we don't make it . . ."

"If we do make it, Merida officially becomes your girlfriend, you go out with her, no excuses, got it?" blurted Ruffnut.

MacIntosh eyed her, "You wanna help me make sure of that?"

"I like that idea."

"Ugh, let's just make it a triple date and be done with it! We've got to save the world first!"

"Astrid's right, and according to the poem, Fire stands between Earth and Lightning, Air is in between Lightning and Water, and Ice is in between Water and Earth." As he spoke, he situated each person in a place around the tree and the stone before taking his place between Merida and Eret.

"Uh, isn't something supposed to happen?" asked Ruffnut.

"Uh, yeah, I don't know what's wrong, I know I have everyone positioned correctly, Ice, Earth, and Fire are supposed to be in front of the stone, and Air, Water, and Lightning are in front of the tree. Maybe we're too far back? Everyone, take a step forward." Everyone did, and waited a bit longer, the temple trembling with the rising alpha. "OK, another step."

"Uh, Hiccup, I don't . . . ah!"

"Merida!" Merida was engulfed in flames, but before Hiccup could take a step towards her, each of the other five was quickly enveloped in their elements. "H-hold on, just a bit longer!" shouted Hiccup, though he wasn't sure if anyone heard him. He had to think fast, the elements weren't going to harm them, at least, not yet, not while they held the signs. He closed his eyes and calmed himself down, there was a way, there had to be, something was nagging at his brain, begging him to remember. His eyes snapped open, that was it! He glanced down at his hand, it was outstretched, aiming the sign up, in the wrong direction! Hiccup held the sign firmly but gently and moved his hand to make the sign face the stone, the wall of earth moving with it, encircling his hand rather than his whole body. "Everybody, aim your sign towards the tree and the stone!" One by one, the signs were adjusted, and everyone aimed their signs towards the stone and the tree. The rumbling continued, but this time, the tree grew while the stone shrunk.

"I-I think it's working!" exclaimed MacIntosh.

"You bet it is!" grinned Eret. Hiccup let out a laugh, a laugh that ended in a yelp as the sign flew from his hand. The other signs soon followed, disappearing into the tree. The six stood there for a few minutes before realizing that the rumbling had stopped.

"We, we did it," began Astrid.

"We did, we did it! We won!" exclaimed Merida as she jumped for joy. There were handshakes, high fives, and hugs all around. When Hiccup got to Merida, he picked her up and spun around. When he put her down, he leaned in, only to be interrupted by someone clearing his throat. The six looked towards the entrance of the temple, there stood Gobber, the witches, and their friends. Gothi picked up her cane and pointed at something. Hiccup looked at the tree, there hung a lone dragon fruit. Hiccup went and plucked it before turning around and walking towards the Dragon Masters to give it to Gothi. Sandy took it from him, and cut it into seven pieces with a pocket knife. She and Gothi handed out six of the pieces to the six holders before Gobber took the last piece and squeezed it over the stone. After the six holders ate the dragon fruit, the three ushered the teens out of the temple and towards the doorway.

"Wait, we're leaving, now?" Hiccup asked incredulously. "We just got here! What about Drago? And there's so much I want to know, there's . . ." Gothi stopped him and beckoned him to kneel. Hiccup knelt, and she dipped her finger in a bottle before placing a sign on Hiccup's forehead with the thick liquid.

"What's that?" asked Snotlout.

Gobber explained, "Gothi has marked Hiccup with the sign of the dragon master, it's official now, he's one of us. And, if he ever wants to visit, he'll know how to find us. But, you guys do need to go now, the portal between our worlds can only stay open for so long."

"I thought you controlled the portals?" asked Eret.

"Not all of them, especially now that we've put the Alpha back to sleep, it's taken a lot of magic to do it. We've already sent Drago and his men through, now it's your turn."

"And when exactly were you planning on telling us this?" asked Hiccup as he rose.

"Uh, just now."

Hiccup rolled his eyes, "Of course."

"Otherwise, it would be harder for you to say goodbye," remarked Sandy. The teens glanced at them in surprise before glancing towards the dragons.

"Yeah, that it would," muttered Eret sadly. They approached the dragons they had bonded with in a few days, and tearfully said their goodbyes before being rushed towards the portal by the Dragon Masters.

"What about you?" asked Hiccup.

"We need to stay here and get things back under control. Don't worry, we'll get back when we need to," remarked Sandy as she and Gothi began pushing them through.

"But can't I help?" asked Hiccup as he fought their pushing.

"Not this time. You may be an official Dragon Master, but there's still a lot you have to learn," replied Sandy as she and Gothi finally got him through.

"Remember, we'll contact Hiccup if we need your help, so stay close to him!" shouted Gobber as the portal closed between them. The teens just stood there for several minutes, staring at what used to be a doorway to another world, but now, there was nothing but trees. The wind blew through their hair, the rustling of the trees seemingly shaking them out of their stupor.

"It's, it's over, it's finally over," muttered Eret.

"Then why do I wish it wasn't?" Fishlegs mumbled as he glanced down. The others glanced down, all seemingly feeling the same. It was Hiccup who broke them out of it fully.

Turning to face them, Hiccup spoke, "It is over, for now, only for now. You heard what Gobber said, when they need us again, they'll contact me."

"If they need us again," pointed out Astrid.

'Which could mean never again," grumbled Ruffnut.

"Yeah," agreed Tuffnut.

"How do we know that? They weren't sure either. Why else would they need a way to contact us?"

"Hiccup's got a point there," stated Fishlegs.

"But what now? Things will never be the same," remarked Eret.

"No, it won't, but our world hasn't changed, just us. Come on, there's still a lot we can do."

"And a triple date to look forward to," winked Ruffnut. They laughed as Hiccup and Merida turned beet red.

"Guess some things don't change after all," snickered Snotlout.

MacIntosh wrapped his arm around Ruffnut, "Well, then, let's go plan that date, shall we?" They walked off, followed not long after by the others, Hiccup and Merida hung back for a little while.

"Hiccup?"

Hiccup let out a sigh, "It's going to be harder for me than the rest of you, I'm one of them, but I want to be with you too."

Merida smiled as she took his hand, "Then be with me, here, for now, if they call, know I'm answering that call with you."

Hiccup pecked her cheek, "Thanks, Mer, that means a lot. Come on, let's go make sure they don't pick something stupid to do." Merida laughed as they walked after their friends, their hands intertwined, finally.


End file.
